Each week, TSN baseball reporter Scott Mitchell takes a look at how the consensus top 10 prospects in the Blue Jays’ minor-league system have fared over the past seven days.

With Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and MLB Pipeline all releasing mid-season rankings recently, we’ve shuffled up the list to reflect the changes for the second half of the season.

 

1. 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Affiliate: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Age: 18 (3/16/1999)
Midseason top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (2); MLB Pipeline (6); Baseball Prospectus (13)
Projected MLB ETA: 2020
Season stats: .316/.409/.480 with 7 HR, 45 RBI, 6 SB in 269 AB at Low-A; .233/.333/.233 with 0 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB in 43 AB at High-A
Embedded ImageGuerrero’s second week facing Florida State League pitching did not go as well as the first. Young Vladdy only produced two hits in 25 plate appearances and is still searching for his first extra-base hit through 12 games in High-A. After playing in just 62 games in his debut season in 2016, Guerrero’s 83 games this year now have him in uncharted territory, and adjusting to the day in, day out grind is an often overlooked aspect of the development process.

2. SS Bo Bichette
Affiliate: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Age: 19 (3/5/1998)
Midseason top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (29); MLB Pipeline (30); Baseball America (44)
Projected MLB ETA: 2020
Season stats: .384/.448/.623 with 10 HR, 51 RBI, 12 SB in 284 AB at Low-A; .375/.419/.464 with 1 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB in 56 AB at High-A
Bichette has shown no signs of slowing down over his first two weeks in Dunedin, rapping out seven hits, including a pair of doubles, in 25 plate appearances over the past week. Like Guerrero, after piling up just 91 plate appearances in 2016, the Blue Jays will be watching to see how Bichette finishes out his first full minor-league campaign. So far, so good.

3. OF Anthony Alford
Affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Age: 23 (7/20/1994)
Midseason top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (38); MLB Pipeline (49)
Projected MLB ETA: Arrived May 19
Season stats: .125/.125/.250 in 8 MLB AB; .143/.182/.143 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB in 21 AB at High-A; .314/.409/.438 with 3 HR, 12 RBI, 9 SB in 137 AB at Double-A
Two months after breaking his left hamate bone on a major-league swing in Milwaukee, Alford finished up his rehab assignment and was sent back to Double-A to continue what’s been a strong, albeit injury interrupted, season. In his first 18 plate appearances back in Double-A this week, Alford reached base seven times. Despite another unfortunate injury, it’s been a step-forward season for Alford, who’ll be firmly in the mix for a big-league job next spring.

Embedded Image4. 2B/SS Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 
Affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Age: 23 (10/19/1993)
Midseason top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (90)
Projected MLB ETA: 2018
Season stats: .197/.217/.258 with 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB in 66 AB at High A; .256/.326/.385 with 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB in 39 AB at Double-A
A hamstring injury cost the Cuban import two months, but he seems to be finding his groove after a promotion to Double-A. Since moving from Dunedin to New Hampshire, Gurriel has three multi-hit outings, including two over the past week. The biggest sign he’s adjusting may be the four walks he drew last week, considering he had just two prior to the free pass binge. He also continues to split his time evenly between second base and shortstop.

5. RHP Sean Reid-Foley
Affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Age: 21 (8/30/1995)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (1); Baseball America (3); MLB Pipeline (2); FanGraphs (3)
Projected MLB ETA: 2019
Season stats: 7-7, 4.48 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 85 Ks in 88.1 innings
His season numbers will attest to the fact it’s been an up-and-down season for Reid-Foley. But the 6-foot-3 righty provided a glimpse of why he’s so highly regarded Friday when he held the Trenton Thunder (New York Yankees) to just one run on four hits, striking out a season-high 12 in 6.2 innings. On another positive note, left-hander Ryan Borucki, who’s on the 40-man roster and could be seen as an MLB option later this season, spun seven shutout innings in his Double-A debut Sunday. The Fisher Cats’ rotation is the one to watch if you’re looking for something to monitor in August.

6. SS Richard Urena
Affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Age: 21 (2/26/1996)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (6); Baseball America (5); MLB Pipeline (4); FanGraphs (4)
Projected MLB ETA: 2019
Season stats: .244/.289/.360 with 4 HR, 47 RBI, 0 SB in 381 AB
One year after slashing .295/.335/.434 across two levels — most of that success came at High-A — Urena hasn’t shown the same type of pop this season. Now mixing in at second base to give Gurriel some time at the six spot, Urena at least finished the past seven days strong with multi-hit games Monday and Tuesday.

7. RHP Conner Greene
Affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Age: 22 (4/4/1995)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (4); Baseball America (4); MLB Pipeline (6); FanGraphs (9)
Projected MLB ETA: 2019
Season stats: 4-8, 4.96 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 67 Ks in 94.1 innings
The last two starts have not been kind to Greene, who’s walked 58 hitters in 94.1 innings this season. On July 17, he was torched for five earned runs and lasted just 2.2 innings, before giving up three earned runs in just one inning of work in his latest start Saturday against Trenton.

8. 1B Rowdy Tellez
Affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
Age: 22 (3/16/1995)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (8); Baseball America (6); MLB Pipeline (5); FanGraphs (8)
Projected MLB ETA: Late 2018
Season stats: .203/.272/.325 with 6 HR, 40 RBI, 3 SB in 320 AB
Embedded ImageThe big lefty’s first crack at Triple-A isn’t going to end up as a memorable one. Tellez hasn’t hit a home run since June 27 and just suffered through another tough week that saw him slash .138/.161/.207 for the Bisons. The Blue Jays have let him try to work through his struggles at Triple-A, but after thinking he could be major-league ready fairly soon, it’s clear Tellez will need another extended go-round in Buffalo to begin 2018.

9. RHP T.J. Zeuch
Affiliate: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Age: 21 (8/1/1995)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (7); Baseball America (7); MLB Pipeline (7); FanGraphs (6)
Projected MLB ETA: 2019
Season stats: 3-3, 3.23 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 42 Ks in 53 innings
Zeuch has now lost two months to a lower-back strain, but he’s been throwing in Dunedin and the Blue Jays expect him to be back on the mound before the season is over.

10. C/1B Max Pentecost
Affiliate: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Age: 24 (3/10/1993)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (9); MLB Pipeline (12); FanGraphs (15)
Projected MLB ETA: Late 2018
Season stats: .293/.348/.467 with 9 HR, 42 RBI, 0 SB in 246 AB
After missing a month with a back injury, Pentecost started to find his timing again over the past week, slashing an impressive .333/.385/.458 in 26 plate appearances. Already set to turn 25 next March, the next step — whenever that may be — will be an interesting one for Pentecost, who continues to split time between first base and donning the tools of ignorance behind the dish.